


Resolution

by WaterRolls



Category: Naruto
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Lovestruck Naruto, NaruHina - Freeform, Romance, Some Action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:14:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24500026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaterRolls/pseuds/WaterRolls
Summary: On a mission with Sai and Rock Lee, Naruto reflects upon his relationship with Hinata, then a brush with death and an encounter with a stranger leads him to make a decision.Naruto finally understands what real love is but there's more to figure out.Set during the blank period, months after the movie, “The Last.”I don't own Naruto, but I would really love to. Sigh.Based on the characters created by Masashi Kishimoto.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 76





	Resolution

**Resolution**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Happy**

Naruto looked over the horizon, watching the sun slowly rise. It was still dark, only a sliver of the sun peaked beyond the mountains.

He smiled slightly.

He hadn’t meant to turn it on, but he could feel the orange glow of his sage mode lingering around his eyes. He’d only meant to lean back and relax against the tree as he finally found a comfortable position on the sturdy branch he’d chosen. In his stillness, natural energy flowed into him as he’d try to let the heat of the rising sun warm up his cold body.

Might as well keep it on, he thought. He was on watch duty, after all. His friends’ lives were in his hands.

He glanced down at the base of the tree. Rock Lee and Sai were still sleeping peacefully—as much as they could on the hard, solid ground, blankets thrown over their tired bodies.

A bird flew up in the distance. Lee turned over in his sleep but didn’t wake.

It was still too early to start out.

They were camped on a ledge, overlooking a small village hidden in a deep valley. That was their destination for this mission. It shouldn’t take more than another hour or two to get there once they got going.

As Shikamaru and the sixth Hokage, Kakashi, had explained, the three had been chosen for the mission because of their stamina. It was going to be a test of their endurance. Standing before the Hokage, they looked at each other and understood. Lee kept up a daily training regimen that was rigorous. Sai had his former ANBU Root experience. And of course, Naruto brought his enormous chakra reserves.

“Just _getting_ to the Village of Setsunai will be tough,” Shikamaru had cheerfully said. “You’ll be crossing mountains, rivers, and wild forests. It’s going to kill you—and then some.”

“But come back, okay? I don’t care if your bodies are in pieces, but haul your butts back to Konoha when you’re done,” Kakashi said, his eyes glinting above the mask hiding his smile. “We’re counting on you guys!”

They’d laughed at the joke then, but nobody was laughing now.

It had been a hard climb up steep mountains to find this remote village—the paths so rough and narrow that a slip of the foot led to certain death over the cliff. Halfway, though, Sai’s giant ink birds had provided some relief as they flew through air. But even _that_ had bee short-lived when the weather turned cruel, pelting them with unrelenting rain, and they’d had to abandon that option. They trudged along—the ground wet, cold, and muddy.

Sai, usually calm and unflappable, kept cursing every step of the way, his sharp eyes occasionally glancing up at the dark sky. “I wish the sun was still out. We could be flying right now.”

Even the normally placid Lee, his large, round eyes drooping from exhaustion, had been forced to lose his stoicism and utter an uncharacteristic complaint: “I don’t like this rain.”

Normally, it would have been enough to make Naruto cry, too. But he’d had a talisman against the unpleasantness: he carried the warmth of Hinata in his heart.

“I’ll see you when you get home,” she’d promised and then a soft press of her lips against his.

Just remembering her face was enough to keep him upbeat and insufferably cheery all throughout the journey.

“Come on! We’re shinobi, right?” Naruto had said, as he marched resolutely ahead, his grin fixed firmly on his face. “We endure. So keep on walking!”

Sai, who’d been trained by the ANBU Root since childhood to hide his feelings, clearly looked like he wanted to hit him.

Lee glanced at him morosely, puzzled by Naruto’s unrelenting cheerfulness.

“Fuzzy Brows, where’s your smile? We’re almost there,” he said, his voice jaunty, ignoring their crabby mood.

Lee saw Naruto’s bright blue eyes gleaming at him with his usual easy grin. It was a simple encouragement, but it was enough to banish his fatigue and fire him up again.

Lee’s eyes began to burn with its usual fervor.

“Yeeeeaaah!” he yelled, pumping his fist in the air.

“That’s right, Naruto! We march on because it’s all training to make us stronger ninjas!”

He then ran to the front of the group, pointed a finger at an imaginary finish line and said, “Double, no, quadruple step! This is our springtime of youth!”

Even Sai chuckled. “All right. Let’s increase the pace, then.”

Hours later, they came to their current location, chosen for its view of the village and the surrounding area. It was a good place to observe and strategize. It was also suitable enough for a night’s rest. The weather had cleared, but the path down the mountain was slippery. It was too risky to try it at night.

“Tomorrow, we’ll reach the village,” Lee said. “Let’s get some sleep.”

Sai took the first watch. Lee rolled out his gear and promptly fell asleep.

“Thanks, Sai,” Naruto said. He laid his head on his makeshift pillow, looked up at the night sky, watched the stars twinkle and wondered what Hinata was doing.

He missed her.

He sighed, thinking back on the days before he’d left for this mission…

She was standing in front of him, her bag outside the door to his apartment. He’d been surprised to see her when he’d opened the door.

“Hi, Naruto.”

“Hinata,” he said as he pulled her into a hug.

She squeezed him back, but drew away, and her index fingers went up into that triangle position, lightly tapping at each other. In the weeks since they’d started their relationship, he’d finally figured out that it meant she was nervous about something and was very anxious about his reaction.

He waited with a smile, hoping that would calm her.

“I know this is sudden, but can I stay with you for a few days?” she asked, looking up at him with uncertainty. In a rush, she went on to explain, “My father and Hanabi had to travel outside of Konoha on clan business. Since Hanabi’s the official Heir to the Hyuuga, I didn’t need to go. They invited me to come along, but it didn’t feel right if I went. I wanted to stay home.”

She shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. I wanted to be with you, really. And I don’t want to be by myself…”

His smile widened.

“Yes! Stay!” he yelled as he suddenly pulled her into the entryway, her small cry of surprise was drowned out by his mouth as he kissed her.

A little while later he grinned at her, so happy, he could imagine his fox tails whipping excitedly behind him. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled back.

It was ridiculous, but his feelings for her hadn’t seemed to calm down even as he got to know her better.

“I don’t want you to be by yourself, either,” Naruto said.

“Thank you,” she said as he grabbed her things and ushered her inside.

“Are you sure it’s okay, though?” she asked, as she stood in his hallway. “It’s really just only for a few days.”

Naruto stopped on his way to the living room and looked back. He thought she’d been right behind him, but she was still standing a foot away from the door. Something about her voice triggered his concern.

He came back to hug her then drew back to look at her face, her trembling mouth.

“Hinata, is everything okay?”

Her lavender eyes filled with tears.

“I’ve never told anyone because I thought I _would_ be okay…but I’m still a little sad that Hanabi gets to go every time because she’s the heir—even though I’m older. I love her, and I genuinely understand why Father made his decision years earlier. I don’t begrudge her the role. Truly, I don’t. She’s an excellent shinobi and will be a great leader of the clan someday…But part of me still hurts.”

He held her hand as the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

She drew a ragged breath and wiped her tears. She looked him squarely in the eyes and he could see the pain of rejection she’d been trying to hide from her family all these years.

“I guess I haven’t come to terms with everything, yet?”

“Not yet,” he agreed gently, wrapping his arms around her again and pressing a kiss on her forehead. He knew exactly what she was going through. She shook her head sadly then rested her head on his chest, breathing in the scent of him.

He rested his chin on top of her head and gave her another reassuring squeeze.

“When I’m Hokage, I really want to change that system. I promised Neji. You Hyuugas are too rigid with your traditions,” he said. “But I think the younger generation will try to make things work. Hanabi isn’t the type to be so inflexible. She’s still young. And I think part of her feels awkward about the whole thing. I know she loves you.”

She nodded, her hair tickling his skin.

“But we don’t need to wait until I’m Hokage, you know. At this rate, since Kakashi-sensei’s doing such a great job, I won’t get the position until I’m muuuuuuuuch older,” he said without rancor.

“Besides,” Naruto added with a grin. “I want you to be happy _now_. If it helps, I’ll go with you and we can talk to your father about it—but only if that’s what you want.”

“Thank you,” she said hugging him tighter and burrowing her face into his chest. “But you _already_ make me happy.”

He sighed as he felt his chest tightening. “Stop saying that.”

He cradled her jaw in his hands and gently lifted her face up to meet his gaze. “That’s _my_ line. _I’m_ the one who should be saying that to you.”

She laughed softly, her eyes losing their sadness. “Okay, go ahead and say it, then.”

“Hinata, you make me very happy,” he said.

**Chapter 2: The Lady and the Fool**

_Happy,_ hah! Naruto thought that morning as the sun’s rays continued to bathe the earth in early morning light.

It was slowly getting warmer and the birds began their song. He swung one leg down the branch but kept a watchful eye for any signs of danger as he continued thinking of Hinata.

Happy was such a weak word to describe how he felt for her.

She was his life, his everything.

Happy didn’t even begin to capture the feeling of joy that coursed through him when she said his name in that loving tone of hers, or the way his skin burned every time she touched him, or the way her words found their way into his heart.

_“You don’t have to be anything but what you are.”_

Hinata had settled into his apartment after she’d appeared so suddenly that day.

“You want some tea?” he’d asked as she’d stepped out of the shower.

She nodded and smiled at him, tendrils of wet hair making spots on the t-shirt she wore.

He tried to fight it, but he felt the blush rising up in him when he realized it was his.

“I’ll do it, Naruto. You sit down.” She’d already turned around and was headed towards the kitchen counter. He was glad she couldn’t see his face.

Naruto watched her bustle about in his kitchen, happy to see her looking relaxed.

It was such a contrast to the early days of their relationship, when everything had been so awkward.

She’d been shy, of course. But so had he. Everything was new. Every touch had been preceded by a question, asking permission. There had been lots of awkward sentences between them—and uncomfortable silence as they agonized about what the other had been thinking.

But she’d eventually blossomed under the force of his unconditional love. She lost the jumpy anxiety that always made her nervous around him as she became more comfortable in his presence.

He, meanwhile, had wavered between exuberance and quiet wonder. There were times when he couldn’t control himself and the joy of being with her drugged him. He couldn’t get enough of her, always reaching for her with eagerness. When he was with her, all he wanted to do was bask in her warmth, touch her, kiss her, inhale her scent.

But during the quiet, restful moments, all he could think of was how lucky he was that this beautiful girl had chosen him over others.

Their friends had been merciless with the teasing.

“Remember, if it’s a choice, it’s Hinata over ramen, _always_!” Sakura said with a threatening glare, punching him hard on the arm, almost breaking it—but it had been mild compared to what she normally did.

“I got this from the library for you,” Sai said as he handed Naruto a copy of _Icha Icha Tactics_. “You were Jiraiya’s disciple. Why you don’t have a copy of your own, I don’t understand.” He smirked. “If I were you, I’d do the opposite of everything the hero does.”

“Being in a relationship,” Shikamaru said, grinning, “is the biggest pain in the ass in the world. But, so are you—so you’ll be a natural at it.”

“You’ll be my best customer,” Ino said gaily as she dragged him into her family’s flower shop. She cracked her knuckles. “That is, if you know what’s good for you.”

“You stupid ass,” Kiba said good-naturedly, slurping his ramen while sitting on a stool at Ichiraku. “After all our _years_ of hinting, it took you a trip to the moon and a kidnapping to recognize it. You always did like to do things so flashy.”

“I don’t tease,” Shino said, sitting next to Kiba, his own bowl of noodles in front of him. He looked at Naruto and they stared at each other silently for a long moment. Shino finally continued. “Why? Because threats are better: I’ll kill you if you hurt her.”

Naruto endured the ribbing of their friends with good will, knowing they were right. He _had_ been blind and an idiot—but he’d always been a slow learner.

Right behind their teasing eyes, though, there’d been relief—relief that he’d finally figured it out. They’d only wanted him, and Hinata, to be happy.

Gradually, though, that relief had started gnawing at him. It made him feel guilty—guilt for not recognizing how much she’d loved him all these years, for the time he’d wasted not loving her back in return.

His solution had been to give everything he had into their relationship, re-doubling his attempts to show her, and prove to her his love. She’d borne it patiently, his clumsy attempts at romance, until she’d found out the secret that had been eating at him.

He’d been walking home after reporting back from the Hokage’s office one afternoon. Oblivious to everything, his head was bowed, his mind was racing.

_Where the hell do I take her tomorrow? It was Ichiraku last time. And the other time, too. Out for ice cream? Does she even like ice cream?! Oh, yeah, she does. She said she likes matcha flavor. But we went to the fair the other day and got ice cream then. She likes flowers so maybe we can go to Ino’s and pick some there. No? Something else? She’ll be tired from today’s mission. Just stay home then? That’s too boring—and I can’t cook anything for her! I’m hopeless. Ugh, that’s so uncool and unromantic. If we’re home, she’s going to feel obligated to cook. But that’ll make her tired…_

It was making his head ache.

“Argh!” he yelled in frustration, angrily pulling at his hair until he stopped walking and finally squatted down, right in the middle of the busy street.

He sat on his haunches, cradling his head for a few minutes until he’d felt a gentle hand on his back.

“Hi,” Hinata said, as her face came into his view.

He blinked at her in surprise. She was kneeling beside him.

“Hinata, when did you get here?” he asked.

“I was calling your name but you never heard me. I’ve been trying to get your attention these last few minutes. You look like you’ve got something on your mind. You want to tell me?”

He sighed, he couldn’t lie to her. “I want to make the next date special for you.”

She looked surprised. “There’s no need for that. You know I’m happy just being with you.”

“That’s the problem! You always say you don’t need me to do anything extra for you. But it doesn’t _feel_ right,” he said angrily.

She drew back, hurt. “I’m sorry.”

Naruto looked stricken. “Hinata, I’m sorry! I’m just being an ass! It’s not your fault. I’m just angry at myself.”

She nodded and reached for his hands. He looked at her fingers. He sighed again and looked up into her face. His normally bright eyes were troubled.

“God, Hinata. I feel so guilty that I made you wait all these years for me. If only I’d realized it sooner, we could’ve been together much earlier.”

She shook her head. “I never blamed you. I don’t want you to feel bad about it,” she said quietly, which made him feel even worse.

“I just feel like now that we’re together, I don’t want you to regret anything. I should be doing more for you because I don’t deserve you. I’m not smart. I’m not cool. I’m not good enough for somebody like you. I love you, but how do I prove to—”

She reached up with both hands and placed them on his cheeks. She squeezed gently to stop him from speaking.

“There’s nothing to prove, Naruto,” she said firmly. “ _Nothing_.”

Naruto felt something twist in his gut, he felt like crying.

“I love you just as you are. I don’t want you to change, or do anything you don’t want to. Naruto, you’re _enough_. You don’t have to be anything but what you are.”

He felt the dam burst as his love for her exploded sweetly within him.

“God, I _love_ you!” he said, as he stood up, lifted her up off her feet, and kissed her in the middle of that busy Konoha street.

He felt her shriek of surprise against his mouth, but he didn’t care as his lips continued moving over hers and he held her tighter against him.

In the midst of it, he heard someone loudly clear their throat.

He put Hinata down and came face to face with Hiashi Hyuuga.

Hinata, still in his arms, squeezed her eyes shut and whispered apologetically, “I forgot to tell you. I was on my way home with my father when we saw you crouched like that.”

Everyone was embarrassed. Hinata was red, Naruto was redder.

“Naruto,” Hiashi said mildly as he bowed at him.

“Er, good evening, sir,” Naruto said.

The elder Hyuuga said nothing. He looked at Naruto then nodded. “You look better than you did a few minutes ago.”

Hiashi bowed again at Naruto then glanced at Hinata. “Come along when you’re ready.”

He started walking again.

His arm still around her, Naruto looked down at Hinata, who reached out and touched his face. “Don’t think you need to keep doing things to make me happy.” She smiled luminously at him. “It’s love. It shouldn’t be a burden. We do this _together_.”

He nodded then leaned his forehead against hers. “Okay.”

Hinata kissed Naruto on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He watched her go, the weight of the world lifted off his shoulders.

**Chapter 3: The Mission**

Naruto sighed again. He wanted to be with Hinata so badly—but there was work to do.

He stood up on his branch and checked the time. The sun was out in full, the sky was clear. He called out, “Lee! Sai!” as he jumped down to join them.

The two woke up instantly, saw Naruto with his gear already packed and did the same.

Naruto threw a small packet filled with food pills at Sai, who caught it. “I had some already so those are yours to share.”

As they ate, they huddled to discuss the mission. They were there to solve a mystery. The tiny village of Setsunai had called upon Konoha to help solve the riddle of their disappearing plants.

The townspeople only numbered a hundred, but there was a special herb that grew only in this part of the world, the Setsunasa plant. Because of their rarity, they were expensive when sold to other villages. It was the main source of income for this tiny village. Thieves, though, were stealing the plants.

From what they’d observed the night before, there was no discernible threat coming from anywhere. Scanning everywhere with his sage mode, Naruto had sensed no malicious intent whatsoever.

The village was protected by natural barriers, the high craggy mountains and the steep ravine where it was located. As they’d trudged along their journey, they’d crossed woods thick with vegetation. To the west, a roaring river with powerful currents flowed.

It was good enough to deter anyone from getting into Setsunai Village. From the outside, everything looked good.

“The people seem okay. Nothing suspicious from what I saw this morning on my watch. They do things normal villagers do,” Naruto explained to the two.

Sai nodded. “We’re not going to get anything else from looking at the problem from the outside. We’ll just have to go into the village and feel around.”

The three of them stood up. “Let’s go.”

They reached the village in an hour. It was still early in the morning so not many people were about. But they attracted attention as soon as they stepped within the walls. They heard murmurings of “Konoha” as everyone awake turned to stare.

“Welcome!” a stout man with a mustache called in greeting. He strode up to the three and held out a large hand. “Thank you for coming to help us.”

“I’m Kitami, in charge of most things here,” he said with a friendly smile as he shook hands with everyone.

He led everyone to a meeting hall where the three shinobi waited as Kitami sent out the message to everyone who needed to be there.

“Everyone should get here soon. It’s not a big town.”

They came, five men dressed in plain clothing of browns and greens. They looked tired, with craggy eyes and lined faces.

Sai, Lee, and Naruto sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, each one thanking that they, in their mud-splattered clothing, looked just as rough as these men.

Kitami nodded at everyone in greeting.

“Konoha’s come to aid us,” he said. The five looked at the three and nodded their heads. Some had smiles on their faces. “I think the Hokage already told you why we requested your help?”

“Yes,” Sai said. “We know about the disappearing plants.”

Kitami shook his head as the rest of the group murmured and looked at each other.

“It’s not the plants that are disappearing. We grow them, harvest them, take them to market, and sell them. It’s the _money_ we get once they’re sold that disappear. We can’t figure out how the thief gets it.”

Sai stroked his chin “The money?”

“Yes,” Kitami said. “When we go to the market, we have the flowers then, so we’re able to sell them and come back with the money. Once we’re back in the village, though, the money’s gone after a day or two.”

One of the men chimed in. “We put it where it always goes, in a lockbox at home. But the next time we open the box, there’s nothing there.”

“And you guys are sure it’s not the other villagers?” Lee asked.

A hard look came on Kitami’s face. “It’s not. We’re a small town. We _know_ each other. We don’t steal from each other—we all need each other to survive in these harsh conditions.”

He looked at the three of them. “You saw how tough it is.”

All three nodded their heads vigorously.

Kitami smiled. “We’d know as soon as one of us starts acting strangely. The thief has to be an outsider.”

“Okay,” Naruto said. “We believe you. But if it’s an outsider, how do they get in and out of the village without being seen?”

Kitami continued, “That’s where you guys come in.”

Sai nodded. “What are the Setsunasa plants used for?”

“It’s an herb, so mostly medicine, but like all plants, it depends. It can be used for tea, spice, whatever. It can only be grown here, but nobody wants to come visit us. _We_ have to venture out. I don’t have to explain to you guys how rough it is moving in and out of this place."

“Got it,” Naruto said. “We’ll look around.”

The meeting broke up as the village men went back to work. Kitami made himself available to the three and pointed out the small hut where he normally did business. The shinobi decided to split up and walk around town to gather further intel.

As Naruto strolled through the narrow streets, he saw small wooden houses and small shops like those in Konoha. The people were friendly and smiled at him, but pretty much left him alone. On his approach, though, they were happy enough to chat with him. They all answered his questions truthfully, and he didn’t learn anything new from them. They all told the same story he’d heard from Kitami. Again, a quick scan with sage mode revealed no spirit of malice from anyone.

An hour later, the three of them met in the center of town, where a small fountain bubbled happily. Naruto sat scratching his chin, Sai writing furiously in his scroll.

“Just going to update Shikamaru and the Hokage,” he said as the scroll transformed into black snakes that slithered quickly away.

“Nothing from me, either. Everything was okay on my patrol,” Lee gasped, upside down. He was doing hand-stand push-ups with one arm. He stopped, did a somersault, landed on his feet, and wiped a brow.

“You guys hungry?” a friendly voice suddenly interrupted. The three men looked left, and a young girl, about their age, with brown hair and eyes approached them. She held a huge plate filled with steaming hot buns and offered it to Lee, her eyes shining with admiration as she looked at his face.

Naruto’s eyes suddenly gleamed with mischief. He stretched his lips into a Cheshire cat smile and elbowed Sai, waggled his eyebrows at him, and pointed at the couple.

Sai gazed back at him like he was an idiot. “Grow up.”

“Thank you, ma’am!” Lee said as he accepted the plate from her. “You’re very kind.”

She smiled at him. “There’s more if you want some. I’m over there.” She pointed to a little house with a yellow door, bright flowers by the doorstep.

Lee shared the meal with the others. Naruto bit into his, and his eyes widened when he found it delicious. He was ravenous. It had been a while since he’d eaten something other than food pills.

He stuffed more into his mouth.

“Oi!” Kurama suddenly shouted, surprising Naruto, making him swallow quickly and choke on the bun.

He beat his chest a couple of times and gasped as the food came flying out of his mouth.

“The hell!” he yelled.

“Shh!” the fox hissed. “Go beast mode and listen.”

Naruto, instantly alert, did as he was instructed. As soon as his body warmed and small yellow flames flickered around him, he felt a disturbance in the air a few yards from him. Among the trees, something moved. He knew instinctively it was the thief, there was something different in the energy coming from him—different from the villagers.

“Sai, Lee. Up front, can you see?” he whispered.

The other two looked at him and shook their heads subtly.

“You sense it? Our guy?” Sai asked as he slowly reached for his sword.

Lee deliberately shrugged his shoulders, ready to do battle.

“I think it’s only one guy,” Naruto murmured under his breath. “Two o’clock, three feet away.”

He stood up, still peering as casually as he could without letting the thief know they were on to him.

As he was about to give the signal to move, a burst of leaves exploded, and a man in a brown cloak shot up into the air, heading straight for the sky. Something like a small canister was strapped to his back and a few jets of air escaped it as he brushed past the Konoha shinobi.

Sai cursed as he whipped out his brushes and began furiously drawing his giant ink birds. In a flash, his jutsu created their transportation. They hopped on and quickly went in pursuit.

Within moments, they were up in the air, the village miles below them. They could still see the man in brown.

“Let’s split up!” Sai yelled. “But don’t go too far. These birds only have a certain range. The higher up you go, the more condensation, which weakens the jutsu.”

“Got it!” Naruto said as he leaned in and urged his bird to speed up. Their quarry was still visible and he felt he could catch up to him. He blasted a rasen shuriken at the thief, which grazed him on the head, causing the top of the cloak to fall off, exposing a flash of red.

The thief only whizzed further up into the air.

Naruto kept chase after him, speeding up as quickly as he could on the bird. He heard a shout from Sai, but he didn’t look back. The man dodged another rasen shuriken Naruto aimed at him as he flitted to the right, stop abruptly, then pull straight up.

He saw the thief form complicated seals with his hands as a moon-shaped barrier covered with swirly, black writing appeared over them. The thief then looked briefly back at Naruto and raised a hand.

Intent on the chase, Naruto felt, but didn’t see the invisible blast he collided into. Caught unaware, he found himself falling off the giant ink bird.

As he fell, he saw the man go through the barrier and disappear on the other side.

Something then squeezed his chest and the air left him. He struggled at the heavy pressure that engulfed him. He felt like he was drowning…

He was falling too quickly, he couldn’t catch his breath.

 _I’m dying_ , he thought desperately even as he battled a growing darkness in his mind, still falling faster and faster.

Hinata! his heart suddenly screamed, feeling like he was losing himself. He clung to her image as fear and panic seemed to make the blackness stronger in his mind.

He fought to remember, to keep her with him.

The memories came in pieces.

There she was softly whispering, “I love you,” before giving him a kiss at the gates of the Hyuuga compound, saying goodnight after one of their dates…

Another image, her setting before him the meal she’d made—piping hot curry with rice and vegetables—her laughter filled with teasing, “I’m sorry it’s not instant ramen, but you need to eat more vegetables!”

Then her eyes were gently chiding, her voice softly cajoling. “It tastes good. Even my father, who’s such a picky eater, likes it. It’ll be good for you, I promise.”

As if he could ever deny her anything. He already knew it would be delicious; she didn’t need to convince him. He’d eat anything she made even if what she placed in front of him looked like dirt…

The sudden shift of his memory to another night…Hinata gasping his name, her flushed face beneath his, her dark hair spilling onto his pillows, her lavender eyes looking up at him, darkening with passion, then closing as she surrendered to desire with a low, ragged cry…and then hours later, her long eyelashes fanned across her cheekbones as he’d watched her sleep, his arm cradling her head. She looked calm, peaceful, and so _loved_. He’d pressed his lips to her temple, sending up to the gods a grateful prayer for her—and her unwavering faith in him…

Daylight now, another day…Hinata describing Hanabi’s latest antics, laughing at herself for always falling prey to her younger sister’s pranks. They were sitting on the floor in his apartment, one hand rested lightly on his thigh as she pressed the other to her chest, trying to smother a laugh.

“She was so _sneaky_! I should’ve known she was being _too_ nice to me this morning, saying she’d help me with my clothes! I’m just so glad she finally told me about painting that cute bunny on the back of my blue kimono. I just never knew it was there! No wonder so many people kept smiling at me!”

He listened to her and watched the light dancing in her eyes, enjoying the obvious affection the sisters had for each other, knowing it was something he could never experience for himself.

“It _was_ pretty funny, though!” she said as she finally gave up and errupted into giggles. She’d looked lovely as he laughed along with her. And then he also gave in to _his_ urge, suddenly pouncing at her, his lips seeking that smiling mouth. It was the first time he’d kissed someone while laughing…

Then, nothing.

Oh, God, _Hinata._

He was slipping further into darkness, he feared he wouldn’t be able to get out.

He wanted more memories with her.

Hinata…

_I love you._

He didn’t want her to be alone, to feel the loneliness of having no one to hug, to kiss, to talk to in an empty apartment.

It had been unbearable. He didn’t want her to experience the same thing…

NO!

Something in him resisted. He was not going to die. He wouldn’t allow it.

Naruto fought the darkness, struggling to find consciousness.

And then a touch, a push, in his mind, as he felt Kurama trying to reach him, struggling with him.

Then he could hear Kurama calling his name.

“Naruto! Dumbass kid!”

Kurama was growling, fighting just as fiercely as Naruto was, to stay alive.

“WAKE UP!”

Inside him, the darkness exploded into nothing. Light blinded him as Naruto opened his eyes, the wind whipping at him. He was still falling, still faster and faster. The village was still a tiny spot in that ravine, he was still too far up. He had to stop his fall.

“Kurama!” Naruto yelled.

He heard chains rattling and Kurama’s snarl of frustration.

“Naruto, I’m stuck! Something’s binding me—some kind of chakra control. I can’t move!”

Naruto cursed, desperately seeking a way to stop this fall.

“Multiple shadow clones!” he yelled.

Nothing.

“Fool! No chakra, I said!”

“No, you didn’t!” Naruto argued even as he struggled to think. True, calling on his multiple shadow clones wouldn’t help him now. He was too far up in the air to grab hold of anything.

Wait, sage mode would at least lessen the impact of the fall!

Naruto calmed himself enough to gather natural energy until he felt the area around his eyes glow orange.

He was still falling, though. His heart pounding, he saw the trees quickly growing bigger as he was fast approaching the ground.

Think! _Think_!

Another growl from Kurama as the chains shook with the force of his fury.

“This chakra feels familiar! Same as yours and your mother’s, but it’s different.”

Naruto stilled his desperate flapping mid-air, momentarily forgetting his precarious situation.

“Wait, how is that possible?”

“Idiot! I don’t know! Now’s not the time to discuss this. Later!”

“Right!” Naruto said as he avoided collision with a bird.

Looking around desperately, he racked his brain furiously for a way to stop from falling.

Nothing.

“Aaaaarrrrrrgh!”

And then it came to him.

The situation was almost eerily similar to the time he’d faced certain death when Jiraiya had pushed him off that cliff. Then, he’d been able to summon Gamabunta.

“Kurama!” he channeled himself into his beast plane, grabbing hold and pulling at the chains binding the fox, trying with all his might to free him. There was a slight loosening. “Can you give me enough chakra to summon Gamakichi?”

Kurama struggled at the chains with a loud roar. “Yes!”

With that, Naruto bit into his left thumb, drew blood, and forced his palm out in front of him. Blood spurted in a rush of drops.

“Summoning Jutsu!” he yelled.

Gamakichi appeared in a flash of smoke and a loud bang, his enormous body blocking Naruto’s view of the approaching earth.

He felt the toad’s slick skin against his cheek as he slammed into Gamakichi’s back, relieved to stop the feeling of weightlessness, but grabbing desperately onto anything he could grasp. They were still falling.

“Help,” Naruto gasped breathlessly.

“Sheesh!” the toad answered in his gravelly voice. “Hell of a situation you call me into.”

“Help,” Naruto could only repeat desperately.

Gamakichi looked down, saw the village hidden in the ravine below him, and picked a spot on the ground far away from it where he could land without much damage. At this height, and the rate they were falling, though, there was going to be wreckage—but it would be manageable.

The giant toad landed in a field of open grass, his massive body explosively cratered soft earth, and sent broken trees flying in all directions.

As the dust cleared, Naruto rolled down the toad’s back in a graceless heap, looked up into his rescuer’s giant eye, croaked “Thanks,” and promptly passed out.

* * *

When he came to, Lee was looking down at him, his big round eyes full of concern, which widened with relief when Naruto gingerly sat up.

“Naruto! I’m glad you’re okay.”

Sai, who’d been leaning against the sleeping Gamakichi, came up onto his feet.

“You should keep resting,” he said. “That was quite a fall.”

“It wasn’t—thanks to Gamakichi,” Naruto said, looking at the toad. “I’m glad you didn’t go back to Mount Mobyoku yet. Were you here the entire time?”

“Yeah, but the summoning’s going to wear off soon. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay before I head back. I have to tell Dad what’s happening. He was worried for you,” the toad said.

Naruto felt a rumble in his midriff. “Gamakichi, Kurama says thank you.”

Gamakichi laughed, pleased he’d helped the Nine-tailed Beast. “Oh, don’t worry, he’s going to owe me someday.”

Kurama growled and sent up a few curses.

Naruto said, “He says he’s looking forward to it.”

“Tch!”

Naruto smiled, but it faded as he looked at the serious faces of his friends.

“So what happened with you guys? I guess you saw what happened to me?”

They both nodded, and Gamakichi kept his attention on all three.

“Same, we chased the guy up as high as we could go, but Sai pulled back when the ink birds started fading. He called me back, but you were too far to reach. You just kept going higher and higher,” Lee said.

“Then it looked like you got hit before touching that barrier. That’s when the bird disappeared and you fell,” Sai said, his face paler than usual. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I tried to reach you as fast as I could, but with all this moisture in the air, my ink jutsu just kept falling apart.”

Naruto shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Sai. I forgot about your warning too late. I should have pulled back.”

But he looked intently at the two. “You guys saw the barrier, too, then?”

“Yeah,” Lee said. “The guy disappeared through it.”

“That’s around the time that Kurama and I felt something hit us. I couldn't see it. I only heard a small pop and then next thing I knew I was blacking out because something was squeezing at my lungs. Kurama suddenly had chains wrap around him, binding his chakra.”

Naruto looked at them somberly. “Then he said something about those chains having the same feeling as mine and my mother’s chakra.”

“What does that mean?” Lee said, a frown on his face.

“Only a _hint_ of Kushina’s chakra,” Kurama corrected, unbound now, suddenly trading places with Naruto, who listened from within the beast plane.

Sai and Lee tensed as they recognized the deep voice of the Fox Spirit, but they weren’t worried. They continued to listen.

Kurama continued. “It’s not exactly the same chakra, but there’s some kind of similarity running through them. If I put it into terms of color, Naruto’s is mostly blue but the outside is wrapped in pale yellow. Kushina’s is all yellow, a very dark shade. This guy’s chakra was the same yellow shade, but fainter.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Unless…” Naruto said, but he was beginning to suspect something. “Kurama, could he be related to my mother?”

Outside, Kurama looked at the others and explained. “Yeah, it’s possible he could be related to Kushina, or at least, he might be a member of your clan. There usually is a link, a thread connecting all of the chakra. Mito, the first Hokage’s wife, was an Uzumaki, too. Her chakra was mainly orange, but it had a yellow thread running through hers.”

Sai rubbed his chin. “So if we’re talking about Uzumakis, we’re talking about sealing jutsus—which could explain the barrier we saw. The dark writing that popped up looked like a seal, didn’t it?”

“Let’s go into the village tomorrow and see if we can check for other barriers around Setsunai. Maybe that’s how the guy’s slipping in and out unseen.”

“Did you get a look at his face?” Lee asked.

Naruto shook his head. “No, everything was a blur. I only caught a glimpse of his hair.”

They all agreed that it was getting darker and there was no point in waiting around for the thief to show up again. While they’d been waiting for Naruto to recover, he hadn’t re-appeared. It was better to head back to the village and explain what happened to Kitami.

Naruto looked at Gamakichi, “Thanks for saving our lives. Tell the Big Boss I said hi.”

“Dad will be happy to hear from you again.” Gamakichi smiled. “See you around, Naruto!” The giant toad disappeared with a loud bang.

When they got to the village, Kitami was waiting for them, his mustache quivering with relief when he saw them walking towards him.

“Thank goodness! We saw a little bit of what happened. I’m so glad you guys are safe.”

They all went to the meeting hall again, where food and blankets waited for them. Naruto sank into one of the blankets and reached for a piece of bread. Sai and Lee filled in the details for Kitami, who listened with concern.

“I think we’ll be fine for tonight,” Naruto said, trying to reassure the man. “I don’t sense anything right now. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Naruto didn’t think he’d be able to fall asleep that night, there was so much going on in his mind. But he found himself yawning widely as his head hit the pillow. He could feel his eyes drifting close as the discussion today of the Uzumaki clan made him think of his mother and her kind face, her beautiful, long red hair.

He drifted off to sleep, thinking red…the thief they’d chased today had red hair…he smiled drowsily as he thought of Nagato with _his_ red hair…another sleepy chuckle as he thought of that girl with the glasses and red hair who’d chased after Sasuke when he’d been young…what was her name?…Karin…red hair…Uzumaki clan…red hair…

**Chapter 4: Maigo**

They waited the next morning at the same spot where the thief had first appeared. They waited all day, but nothing happened. Nothing moved beyond the squirrels gathering nuts, and the ninjas went to bed that night disappointed. The second day was just as quiet.

“Maybe he gave up?” Lee asked as they waited on the same part of the square on the third day.

They’d taken turns patrolling in and around the village, but the thief didn’t appear again.

“No, I don’t think so,” Naruto said. “What about trying the markets? Maybe he got what he wanted and went to sell them? We could try. Kitami said today and tomorrow are the usual days the villagers go.”

“Let’s do it,” Sai said, nodding. “It’ll be a tough trip, but it’s something we need to check out anyway. Three days to get to the market, right? If nothing happens there, we’ll come back again and check things out.”

Kitami agreed to take them. They loaded up a basket full of the Setsunasa plant, an herb with sharp thorns and little blue flowers. They headed for the village gates.

A few miles away from the village, Kitami’s eyes suddenly glazed over, and he moved woodenly along a path that veered away from the main road.

Naruto frowned and started to call out his name, but Sai grabbed his arm, put a finger to his lips and mouthed, “ _Genjutsu_.”

They followed Kitami to a cave, where the man dropped the basket and started a bizarre ritual.

He shook an imaginary person’s hand and bowed.

“Yes, sir.” Kitami said. “Everything’s in there. The plants are all fresh.”

He nodded as if agreeing, but the three didn’t see or hear anyone talking.

“Yes, that’s a fair price. No need to haggle.”

He held out his outstretched palm and closed his hand over nothing.

Kitami then put his hand into his pocket as if to drop something in it.

“Thank you, sir,” he said again into the empty cave. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”

He turned, leaving the Setsunasa plants where he’d left them. He was heading back to the mouth of the cave. But before he reached the entrance, he dropped to the ground.

Naruto rushed over. “Kitami!” he said as he shook the man. Kitami didn’t wake.

Sai looked him over and around the cave. They couldn’t find traces of the thief.

“So it’s an illusion. That’s how the thief is getting the money,” he said.

Lee came up to them. “Kitami’s out. Should we wake him up? If he’s under—“

A sudden explosion blew Lee’s next words away. The three found themselves in the air, trying to right themselves. Naruto cursed himself for his inattention, even as he switched into beast mode and aimed a blast at the direction where he saw a quick flash of brown. As his vision crystalized, he saw the thief preparing to jump up.

Naruto didn’t know what made him do it, but he suddenly yelled out, “Uzumaki!”

It startled the thief momentarily as he looked at Naruto in surprise—but it was enough for Lee. With movements so quick, he brought his foot whizzing down on the man’s head, knocking him unconscious. He fell to the ground with a loud thud. Sai was by his side in an instant, reaching for his hands with rope.

They tied him up as carefully as they could, hands apart, each bound to a separate branch of a tree. They needed to prevent him from making hand seals for escape. After checking carefully for weapons and finding none, they hid his air tank away from his view. The tank didn’t look dangerous, but the extra precaution was necessary.

Kitami had to be propped up into a sitting position, but otherwise, he seemed okay. He continued to sleep with his head bowed. After much debate, the three decided that leaving him in that state was the best they could do for now. They didn’t know how to safely release the illusion he was under.

They then went to examine the thief. He was older than they’d thought, and Sai guessed him to be around his fifties.The dark red hair had flecks of silver. His pale face was weathered, lined with wrinkles. Naruto saw scars all over his face and arms. And he was thin, thinner than they’d first realized. His brown cloak was shabby, the clothing under it were ragged. He looked like he’d had a rough life, as if he’d been scavenging for food or hiding in caves.

When he woke up, he saw the three Konoha ninjas looking at him and he struggled at the ties that bound his arms.

“Let me go!” he said in a raspy voice.

Naruto tried to be friendly and approached slowly.

“Sorry we had to get rough and tie you up like that, but we can’t have you making the seals to create an escape.”

The thief ignored him and pulled at the ropes binding his hands.

“We just wanted to talk to you,” Sai said. Lee looked on.

Again, the thief ignored him. He looked around, saw the plants and Kitami still slumped against the cave. He was searching for his canister of air but he glared at the shinobi when he didn’t see it.

“Let me go,” he said again. “I never harmed anyone. They’re not hurt. They were only under genjutsu for a few days. If you take him home, it’ll automatically disappear. You can have the plants back. I’ll go quietly.”

Naruto looked at the tired, weather-beaten face and asked the burning question in his chest.

“Are you an Uzumaki? Because I’m an Uzumaki, too. And if you are, we could be family. Or the same clan—“

The man spat in sudden anger, his eyes blazing with heat.

“I _have_ no family! You say you’re an Uzumaki! But I don’t know who you are or what you are!”

Naruto couldn’t guard against the sudden pain that lanced his heart. He let out a slow breath to ease the tightness.

It had been too much to hope. He’d been hoping since he first heard the words from Kurama’s mouth for that chance to find a connection to his mother’s family. He’d wanted to be part of something more than just himself. He’d expected too much. He should’ve known it was too good to be true.

But hearing the rejection from this stranger he didn’t know hurt more than it should have.

_You don’t have to be anything but what you are._

Hinata’s words suddenly floated back to Naruto.

He suddenly smiled. That’s right. He might not have had a family, but he was still Naruto, a Konoha shinobi and the man who loved her with all his heart.

Nothing would change that.

“You’re right. You don’t know who I am.” He looked at the man, made a fist and placed it over his heart. “My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My mother was Kushina Uzumaki. She was a shinobi. I’m a shinobi, too. I’m from Konoha.” He pointed at Lee and Sai. “So are they.”

The man stopped struggling and looked at them in surprise.

“Konoha!”

He peered more closely at their forehead protectors then at Naruto again.

“So you’re Naruto Uzumaki, the hero of the great war? What are you guys doing all the way over here?”

“We came to help the village and stop you from stealing their plants,” Naruto said.

The man sighed then hung his head. “I wasn’t really stealing.”

“Really?” Sai said, looking pointedly at the basket overflowing with Setsunasa plants.

“Fine, maybe some of the flowers, but only a little bit of it. I don’t do it every time they go to the market, just a few times. I don’t take money or food or anything else.”

The shinobi gazed at him doubtfully but Naruto came up to him when the thief was racked by a sudden violent cough.

“You’re not okay,” Naruto said. He looked at the others. “Let’s cut the ropes.”

Lee came up to Sai and talked to him quietly. “Look, we took the tank away. He shouldn’t be able to fly away.”

“He’s still got the sealing technique,” Sai said.

“Yeah, but look at him. I don’t think he’ll be able to run away in his condition.”

Sai remained quiet.

“Do you need water?” Naruto said as he uncovered his flask and offered it to the man.

The man nodded gratefully. Naruto held the flask about to his lips and the thief took a long swallow of water.

Sai then moved closer and cut the ropes that bound him.

The man breathed deeply, rubbed his wrists, then looked at each shinobi in turn.

“Thanks,” he said to Naruto.

Naruto smiled and nodded.

“Why were you stealing?” Sai asked.

“I need the herbs to stay alive.”

The thief breathed deeply again, and the three heard a rattling in his chest as he did so.

“I need it to make medicine. These plants helped me with the pain. They don’t need as much, the villagers. I only take what I need.”

He coughed again and Naruto handed him the water flask. “Keep it.”

“Thanks, kid.” He turned his attention back to Sai and Lee.

Sai continued. “So how does the genjutsu work?”

The thief looked at Kitami. “He’ll be asleep for another day or two. It usually releases when they’re back at the village.”

“So they go to the market, get sucked into this illusion through a barrier? They think they’ve sold their plants and go back home to find out that they never really had the money?”

“Yeah. I guess you saw?”

They nodded.

“Tell us more about the barrier.”

The thief took another drink of water then answered the question. “It’s activated by chakra. I never marked you guys so you didn’t go through the genjutsu. It only affects the ones who I marked—the villagers who go to the market to sell plants, and only them. I manipulated it so that they’re made to think they’re making a sale and then it gets deactivated when they’re back in the village.”

Sai nodded.

Naruto asked, “When we first saw you, you had another barrier up in the air. How does that work?”

“It’s a warp. I go through it and transport back to the place where I’ve marked.”

“Like the Fourth Hokage’s technique,” Naruto said. “Like my dad’s!”

“The Fourth Hokage! That’s really impressive,” the man said, looking at Naruto more closely. “I create the barrier and I’m able to go where I need to go.”

“With all that skill, why steal the flowers, then?” Lee asked, puzzled.

Naruto nodded. “Yeah, you could’ve talked to the townspeople. They’re not that bad. I’m sure you saw how they are.”

The man laughed bitterly. “After being on the run and being on my own all this time, it’s hard to change your ways. You’re always on guard and you learn to distrust people.”

Naruto looked sad. He saw the thief’s hard brown eyes underneath the red hair and the beaten expression on his face. He didn’t think he could ignore it and just leave it at that.

“Look, you don’t need to steal any of the plants. We can talk to them.” He pointed at Kitami. “They’ll give it to you. They’re _good_ people.”

“Naruto…” Sai said, recognizing the look in Naruto’s eyes.

Lee came up to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “Your heart’s in the right place, Naruto, but we still have a mission to complete. We need to capture him.”

Naruto shook his head.

“No we don’t. Remember what Shikamaru said. We’re here to _solve_ a mystery, not capture a thief, or punish anyone, or impose justice. We’ve just solved the puzzle. Our mission’s complete! We’ve done our duty. We can _help_ him.”

It was true. They’d found out the reason why the plants were disappearing and about the identity of the thief.

“We can also help the village. He’s got a jutsu that could help the villagers get to the market easier, cut the trip in less time. He could set up a barrier that would connect the village with others. Or, the other villages can come here directly, to do business _in_ Setsunai. If everybody’s okay with this, this is the perfect way to help everyone: it’s win-win!”

Lee was nodding slowly, thinking it over. Sai looked at the thief, then at Naruto, then at Kitami.

“It could work,” he said. “But it’s going to depend on Kitami and the villagers. Plus, our man here would need to be honest enough to do it.”

The thief gave another biting laugh. “Honest! It would be like a prison sentence.”

Naruto said, “Being alone hasn’t helped you all this time. You’re sick, and probably dying, so why not give them a chance?”

He gave the man a solemn look. “It gets lonely, doesn’t it? When there’s nobody around.”

The thief started and then looked at Naruto, who only continued gazing at him. Blue eyes clashed with brown. In their depths, the thief saw shared experience and understanding that shouldn’t have been there in one so young.

“Yeah.” Again, the man took another deep breath. Again, they all heard the rattling in his chest. “I could give it a try.”

Naruto beamed at him then at Lee and Sai, who shook his head but smiled in return. “You just can’t help it, can you?”

“Nope!” came the cheerful reply.

They helped the man stand up. Lee introduced himself then went to Kitami. Sai shook the man’s hand.

“Name’s Maigo,” he said. “Maigo Uzumaki.”

Naruto kept the grin in place, his heart feeling light and joyful as he repeated, “Uzumaki.”

As they went to gather their things, Naruto pulled Maigo aside to ask a question that had also been bothering him.

“What was that jutsu that you blasted at me when you first showed up? When you were high up in the air?”

“Oh, that?” Maigo said. “It was nothing. It should have been harmless, a chakra control just enough to stun you for a second to make my escape. Did something happen?”

Naruto suddenly found himself grinning. “Oh, nothing,” he said, easily sweeping away his brush with death.

Maigo looked at him with a trace of suspicion. “You seem okay. It should’ve been harmless on normal humans.”

He peered at Naruto. “What happened? Did it affect you?”

“Kind of.”

“I guess you’re not normal then.”

“You _could_ say that,” Naruto said with a laugh.

Maigo went to dispel the illusion that Kitami was under.

“Kurama, did you hear that?” Naruto said gleefully. “He said for _humans_. Hmm, _you’re_ not human, Kurama. So when I was in the air, losing consciousness, blacking out, _dying_ , that was your fault! So _you_ almost got me killed, _you_ we—”

Kurama’s quick slash of claws pierced him inside, made Naruto gasp and swiftly cut off what he was about to say. “You want to say more?”

“Nope.”

**Chapter 5: Possibilities**

In the end, it hadn’t been a problem. Kitami had taken one look at Maigo’s sunken cheeks, thin frame, ragged clothing and had forgiven the man for the theft of the plants.

“It was really no harm done,” Kitami said. The five other farmers nodded.

Besides, they were more than willing to take in somebody who could help ease their way of life. If Maigo had the ability to make the arduous trip to the market less than it needed to be, they were happy to do so.

Maigo had been quiet, but he seemed willing to really give it a try. The years of scavenging had taken a toll on his body. He knew deep down that he’d prefer to be comfortable—if these were going to be his last few years.

But, hopefully, not.

The villagers had looked at him suspiciously at first, but had shown understanding when they’d found out the reason why he’d stolen the Setsunasa plants. Kitami had talked to the villagers and had even found someone willing to share their home with him.

It was none other than the brown-haired girl who’d shared her meat buns with the Konoha shinobi. “My mother and I could do with the help around the house,” she’d said. “Plus, he shouldn’t be alone by himself.”

The morning of their departure, the girl had given Lee a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you for helping us.”

Lee had blushed as he bowed politely. “You’re very welcome, ma’am. It was our duty as shinobi of Konoha. We’re pleased that we were able to aid you and the village.”

She’d laughed at his formality. “If you guys come back, there’ll be more buns waiting,” she said with a wink.

Naruto watched it all with amusement, but he couldn’t get Sai to join him in all the fun.

“You’re in a relationship with Hinata and you’re _still_ this juvenile?” Sai said. “Poor Hinata.”

Naruto did a little dance of happiness. “Yeah, but she loves me just as I am.”

“Exactly. The poor girl,” Sai said.

Naruto closed his eyes. “Hinata, I’m coming home,” he thought.

He grinned to himself, remembering the last time he’d been back from a long mission. It was still during the early days of their relationship. He was heading to the Hokage’s office for his report, chatting with Sakura and Sai.

“Naruto!” he heard Hinata call out his name and he turned around to see her, walking out of the Hokage tower’s door, Kiba and Shino right behind her.

Then she was running—heading straight for him, eyes shining, hair streaming wildly behind her, finally launching herself in his arms. He caught her and hugged her with all the force of his longing, so happy to be back home.

Aware that they were still surrounded by other shinobi in public, he set her down slowly, reluctantly. He didn’t want to embarrass her in front of their friends.

As he did so, he thought he felt her lips brush the side of his neck. But no, Hinata wouldn’t do something like that. It was just wishful thinking on his part. His ears burned and his face flushed.

He set her at arm's length, smiling, but it slowly faded when he saw the tiny frown on her face looking up at him.

“You-You’re not going to kiss me?” she asked in a strangled voice.

He was startled and he looked around at their friends, who were trying to give them space.

“Everyone’s still around, so I thought it would make you self-conscious…” he said with an embarrassed laugh, one hand rubbing the back of his head.

Her eyes widened, and he saw resolve and determination set in her face.

“Well, _I_ want to kiss you,” his shy, gentle Hinata said as she suddenly reached up with both hands, grabbed his shirtfront, yanked his face down, and solidly planted her lips on his.

“Naruto!” she’d said with an exasperated laugh as she pulled back. She was flushed and happy. She shook him and lightly smacked him on the chest. “You’re supposed to kiss a girl if you haven’t seen her in _weeks_!”

His blush deepened. He’d committed another social blunder.

“Smooth, dumbass,” Kiba said as he walked past with a smirk on his face.

“Kiba, don’t tease them,” Shino said as he also walked past the couple. “Why? Because this is how they will always be.”

Naruto looked down at Hinata. “Oh, really?” he said with a devilish gleam in his eyes. “Want to give it another go?”

He grinned when she flushed red again. “I _am_ still learning, after all.”

* * *

The three of them waved to the villagers they passed on their way to the gates. It was good to see their smiling, happy faces. Another mission completed.

They looked up at the imposing mountain they had to climb on their way back to Konoha. The hard, narrow paths, the craggy mountains awaited them.

Naruto took a bouncy step forward, whistling. He was looking forward to his homecoming. He couldn’t wait to see Hinata and talk to her about this latest adventure.

“Let’s go home boys, back to Konoha,” he said with excitement.

He looked back expecting to see happy expressions on their faces but was startled to see Lee looking glum and Sai frowning. Their feet were dragging as they started out.

“Come on, guys! We’ll be home in a few days. What’s with the long faces?” he said in a gratingly cheery voice.

Lee pointed at the mountain. “Well, we still have to climb that.”

Sai pointed to the dark clouds gathering. “We also have that to deal with.”

“That’s nothing! Let’s go! Step lively.”

Sai looked annoyed. Lee was puzzled.

“Which reminds me, Naruto, what kept you fired up during the trip here?”

Naruto laughed. “It’s easy! Just think of something that makes you happy,” he said, then tapped a fist against his chest. “And then you just remember it when you feel down.”

Sai smiled in dawning understanding.

“Something that makes me happy?” said Lee. He brightened, thinking of a man in a green leotard suit with dark bushy brows, a twinkling smile, and a ready thumbs up.

“Happy,” Sai said, thinking of long blond hair that fell all the way to the waist, that same blond hair falling over emerald eyes that always flashed with delight when he showed up at her store.

Naruto grinned, thinking of lavender eyes and long dark hair, still wet from the shower, making spots on his t-shirt.

He glanced at Lee and Sai. “You ready?”

“Let’s go back to Konoha.”

He looked back at the village entrance. Kitami was there, bowing and waving good-bye. The girl who gave them the meat buns was also there, her eyes fixed on Lee. And Maigo held one hand up in farewell. He looked better, a warm blanket wrapped around his thin frame.

“Farewell, Naruto Uzumaki!” he said in his raspy voice, and the sound carried all the way to the shinobi.

“Good bye!” Naruto shouted as he waved his arms, wishing the man all the best in the world.

The night before their journey, he’d stopped by to see how he was doing. He was also curious about this other man named Uzumaki.

“Yeah, it’s not bad, having people around. They’re very kind,” Maigo said, sitting in an armchair, with a cup of steaming tea beside him. He smiled suddenly, the years falling off his face, making him look younger. “This family can _cook_. Beats eating dead mice and berries.”

Naruto made a face, but agreed, remembering the meat buns. “I’m glad. It’s good to have people in your life.”

Maigo could only sigh in agreement. The rattling in his chest seemed to have gotten better with his new situation.

He looked at Naruto. “So you guys are heading home tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that’s why I came to see you.”

He paused for a moment, then went on hesitantly, “Do you want to come back with me to Konoha? You’ll be welcomed there.”

There was a look of understanding and kind sympathy on Maigo’s face.

“Look, kid,” he said. “Thanks, but I don’t think I’d make the trip,” he said as he gave another racking cough.

Naruto was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Are there any more Uzumakis around?”

Maigo sighed. “Yeah, but it won’t be easy to find them. You know the village of Uzushio and it’s destruction, right? How everyone got spread out and had to hide because they—we—were targeted for our chakra and sealing skills?”

Naruto nodded.

“They’re all over, but you _can_ find them.”

“Hmm.” Naruto looked intrigued. Members of the Uzumaki clan, people who shared his name, all over the world, waiting to be discovered.

He looked at Maigo’s hair.

“And most of them have red hair?”

Maigo glanced at Naruto’s blond hair and smiled. “Yeah, kid, usually. You’re the first one I’ve met who didn’t have it. Do you know anyone alive with red hair?”

A vision of a girl with glasses who’d chased after Sasuke when he was younger.

Naruto grinned. “Maybe.”

“You could start there,” Maigo said with another smile.

Yeah, I could, Naruto thought as he took the steps that would take him closer to Konoha. It would be interesting. He could talk to Shikamaru and Kakashi-sensei about it, too. It could be something he could do, when he wasn’t so busy with his missions—finding other members of his mother’s family. No, _his_ family.

It was all very bittersweet. He was glad he’d met Maigo, another Uzumaki. But he was tired of always meeting people, making a connection, creating bonds, and then losing them. He smiled inwardly. It was just the way his life was meant to be. Besides, it wasn’t really a loss. He’d gained more by making that connection than losing it.

Something suddenly flickered in the mists of his brain.

He frowned.

They kept walking, straight toward the mountain.

Sai looked at Naruto, who was looking off into the distance with a thoughtful look on his face. He could guess what was weighing on Naruto’s mind.

“Uzumakis,” Sai said. “So they’re out there, huh?”

“Yeah,” Naruto said, still thinking. An idea was trying to make itself clear, but he wasn’t seeing it.

But what Sai and Maigo said, they were out there—however, they always seemed to be alone, always by themselves.

He sighed. He wondered what it meant to be a clan.

What was it like to belong? He thought of his friends and their big, wonderful families.

Chouji and the Akimichi clan. Kiba and his. Shino's.

The Naras were a clan.

The Hyuuga Clan.

_Wait._

Something was clicking in his mind.

Uzumakis, Sai had said. As in _plural_.

His mother’s clan…

The Hyuuga Clan…Hinata and her situation with her family.

Family…

_We do this together._

Together.

Hinata and him. Hinata, not Hyuuga, but _Uzumaki_.

Of course!

His bright blue eyes burned with hope, he stopped suddenly and leapt up with a shout. He laughed, the sound joyous and free.

He looked down and placed a hand on his stomach. “Right, Kurama?”

“Yes,” came a low, answering rumble, a blessing from the beast.

Sai and Lee looked at him with a questioning glance.

Naruto grabbed Sai’s arm and they stopped walking. He looked at Lee.

“When we get to Konoha, I have to stop by the jewelry store. Will you guys come with me? Give me your opinion? What do you think?”

They saw the look of excitement and hope on his face and smiled broadly.

“Yes, Naruto,” Lee said with a thumbs up.

“Sure, Naruto,” Sai said. “No problem.”

Naruto looked at their supportive faces. He was suddenly glad that it was these two men who were with him at this very moment. Lee and his generous, open heart, grinning unabashedly at him with twinkling eyes. Sai and his tranquility, a genuine smile crinkling the corners of his eyes, making him even more attractive in its sincerity.

It seemed fitting. After all, Lee and Sai had also grown up without clans of their own.

Naruto kept beaming at them until Sai reached behind him, rummaged through the bag strapped to his back, and took out the notebook and pencil he always carried with him for situations like these.

“I’ll need to take notes,” Sai said. “I like learning from your examples first. When you mess up, at least, _I'll_ know not to make the same mistake.”

Naruto’s look of incredulity matched his exasperated cry. “Sai! You-you _ass_!”

Sai started walking again. “After the ring, maybe flowers?” His dark eyes lit with anticipation. “Then we can stop by Ino’s later.”

Naruto chuckled quietly. “Thanks, Sai.”

* * *

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thank you so much for reading. What do you guys think?


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